THE INFORMATION AGE AND INFORMATION LITERACY

Learning how to learn within this information and technology-rich environment requires skill and experience. Learners need educators who understand this and are willing to learn with their students. Today's and tomorrow's teachers are also learning new strategies and skills, and are developing a new understanding of what it means to be "literate" in this new world... More

The Atlantic Province's Language Arts Curriculum identifies literacy as a focus for curriculum:

The curriculum anticipates that what it means to be literate will continue to change as visual and electronic media become more and more dominant as forms of expression and communication. As recently as one hundred years ago, literacy meant the ability to recall and recite from familiar texts and to write signatures. Even twenty years ago, concepts of literacy were linked almost exclusively to print materials. The vast spread of technology and media has broadened our concept of literacy. To participate fully in today's society and function competently in the workplace, students need to read and use a range of texts. (Text describes any language event; oral, written, or visual, in any format.) For these reasons, the curriculum at all levels extends beyond the traditional concept of literacy to encompass media and information literacies, offering students multiple pathways to learning through engagement with a wide range of verbal, visual, and technological media. (Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation English Language Arts, Foundation document, page 1, 1996)

There can be no doubt that student-centered literacy and learning are the focus for so much curriculum restructuring nationally and internationally, and Atlantic Canada is no exception.

According to futurist, Alvin Toffler, "the illiterate of the year 2000 will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."

The authors of this document accepted three consistent working definitions for Information Literacy and visitors to this site will find this philosophy underlies all parts of this document. More

It was also useful for the Committee to move beyond "generic" definitions and to realize that information literacy varies in different settings. Readers are advised to learn more about this reality described by another important author, Christine Bruce, in her 1997 book, The Seven Faces of Information Literacy.

We share a commitment to developing students' information literacy and realize that this "new literacy" manifests itself differently, according to the learning context, the desired outcomes, and the individual learner's strengths and experiences, regardless of age. Information literacy in action may not look exactly the same in the adult work-place as in the primary classroom... but its development is equally important for all learners. Beginning early, and consistently holding to the value of developing informed citizens who "know how to learn," should be a priority for everyone!

TEACHING AND LEARNING IN A "KNOWLEDGE-BASED SOCIETY"